Area college leaders: No to allowing guns on campus

LOWELL -- A highly contested law in Texas now allows concealed handguns on public college campuses, part of a string of campus-carry laws nationwide that has sparked a broader debate.

Yet in Massachusetts, a state with one of the most stringent gun laws in the nation, some college leaders are simply not interested in allowing students to bring their guns to school.

Beyond law enforcement, state law forbids firearms on college campuses and elementary or secondary schools unless gun owners receive written authorization from the school authority.

Violations can carry a fine of up to $1,000 and two years in prison.

But college leaders in the Lowell and Fitchburg areas haven't authorized anyone to bring a gun on school grounds -- and they don't plan on doing so anytime soon.

"I think there's no reason for it to be necessary," Middlesex Community College President James Mabry said. "We have no dangerous incidents on the campus, and having armed officers who are very highly trained, very highly skilled is really the best way to go about this."

Mabry said the school, which has campuses in Lowell and Bedford, hasn't received requests from students to be able to carry guns on campus. In fact, it's just the opposite -- requests that no one be allowed to carry weapons, even armed officers.

UMass Lowell's weapons advisory echoes those at the five other UMass campuses, forbidding firearms on school grounds even if a student is licensed to carry one.

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Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner also bans weapons on campus, with the exception of law-enforcement officials who are authorized by the school's board of trustees and president.

"The safety of our students and college community is the highest priority at Mount Wachusett Community College," spokeswoman Janice O'Connor said.

A similar sentiment rings true at Fitchburg State University.

"Fitchburg State University considers the safety of its campus community paramount, and, in accordance with state law, prohibits the possession of weapons on its grounds," spokesman Matthew Bruun said in a statement. "The university president has not authorized any personnel beyond law enforcement to carry weapons on campus, and we do not anticipate changing that practice."

Other area colleges also claim to have very few incidents of finding guns illegally on campus.

The climate is starkly different from the one in Texas, where licensed holders can bring concealed handguns to public college campuses.

Yet since taking effect this month, three University of Texas professors have sued to overturn the law, declaring it an unconstitutional mandate that forces colleges to impose "dangerously experimental gun policies."

The campus-carry debate has been a busy one nationwide. In the 2015 legislative session, 14 states introduced legislation that would allow guns on college and university campuses, according to a report from the Education Commission of the States and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

Texas is the only state this year to enact legislation allowing guns on campus, joining six other states that already permit guns on campus -- Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Utah and Wisconsin.

"We're noticing a substantial shift in the thinking of public policymakers about the presence of guns on campus," said Andrew Morse, a co-author of the study and director for policy research and advocacy at the NASPA Research and Policy Institute. "Whereas it used to be pretty widely understood that guns have no place in the campus environment, in recent years we're seeing a noticeable shift in the position of that narrative to almost be more pro-gun, and that's a concern."

The study urges campus leaders to consider firearms training -- or lack of -- for those who carry.

But for gun-rights activists in Massachusetts, campus-carry is yet another Second Amendment battle to fight.

Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owners' Action League of Massachusetts, said addressing the issue will take a while.

"This actually includes a cultural change," he said. "The people here are going to have to realize that the person who's ultimately responsible for your safety is yourself."

Wallace emphasized that the use of firearms in a life-saving attempt is a "last-ditch" effort, and argued that gun owners don't simply engage in a wild shootout when there's an active shooter on campus.

"If somebody's standing over your best friend and is about to do harm to them, and there's no other action you can take, I'm not sure what kind of training you need," he said. "It's just basic survival instinct."

Follow Amelia on Twitter and Tout @AmeliaPakHarvey.

Information from the Washington Post and the AP was used in this report.

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